E-tolling in Gauteng will not start in February, as indicated last year, said the chairperson of newly appointed South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) board, Tembakazi Mnyaka, in a statement released on Friday.
 


The new board met with Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele in Pretoria on Thursday.
 
Mnyaka said matters discussed at the meeting included Sanral’s mandate, the Gauteng e-tolling project and future roads programmes.
 


“With regards to e-tolling in Gauteng, the board is currently seized with this very serious matter and will address the current stakeholder concerns and issues raised in the petitions submitted to the Minister,” noted the statement.

“The board is committed to meeting all its obligations to the stakeholders, and is exploring different modalities. The board will present their findings to the Minister, following which the Minister will present a report to Cabinet. Therefore, e-tolling in Gauteng will not commence during February 2012.”

Sanral said earlier this week that it had registered more than 200 000 accounts for its controversial e-tolling programme on the around 200 km of road upgraded under the multibillion-rand Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP).

The agency said 212 906 accounts had been opened since e-tag registration started in November.

Cabinet in August approved revised and reduced GFIP toll tariffs of 24c/km for motorcycles, 40c/km for cars, R1/km for medium trucks and R2/km for heavy trucks, following public consultation. Qualifying taxis and buses were to be exempted from paying toll fees. These rates were all based on a vehicle sporting an etag on its windscreen, and did not include other discounts, such as frequent user and off-peak discounts.

However, government had since August initiated a fresh round of consultation on e-tolling in Gauteng, following continued public dissatisfaction with the programme, this while it also pressed ahead with GFIP implementation through Sanral.

COSATU, AA WELCOME SUSPENSION

Trade union federation Cosatu on Friday welcomed the announcement that tolling in Gauteng would not begin in February, calling the move “a significant victory for the millions of residents of Gauteng who have expressed their total opposition to this attempt to force them to pay huge amounts of extra money just to travel on the province’s highways”.

Cosatu urged Ndebele and the Cabinet to take note of the “mass opposition” to the e-toll project, and to “instruct Sanral to abandon [it] for good”.

The federation also reiterated its call for motorists not to buy e-tags.

“Our members remain mobilised for a campaign of mass action if today’s decision is reversed.”

The Automobile Association of South Africa (AA) also expressed positive reaction to the Sanral board decision.

“The deferment of the tolls beyond February 2012 to allow for a further perusal of submissions is the first positive indication from Sanral that the public outcry and protest may have been heard,” said spokesperson Gary Ronald.

He added that fuel taxes could be used to fund the GFIP programme.